Greece and Israel Sink a Warship in Joint Naval Drill North of Crete
The Hellenic Navy and Israeli Navy jointly sank a decommissioned Greek frigate in what has been called an unprecedented exercise in the Aegean. On October 21, in the northern Cretan Sea, the retired frigate Bouboulina (F-463) was struck by SPIKE NLOS and SPIKE ER guided missiles and then finished off by a single SUT torpedo fired from a submarine.
The drill served as acceptance trials for Greece's new SPIKE guided missile systems. The missiles were launched from the gunboat Machitis and a Mark V special operations craft, with the Hellenic Navy declaring the firings a complete success. Israeli Navy vessels also conducted surface-to-surface guided missile firings of their own during the exercise.
The retired frigate Bouboulina was struck by guided missiles, then finished off by a single torpedo fired from a submarine.
The scale of participation was significant. Ships from the Hellenic Fleet, Frigate, Submarine, Fast Attack Craft, Surveillance and Underwater Demolition Commands all took part, alongside Naval Aviation helicopters, Hellenic Air Force assets, and two Israeli Navy guided missile vessels. The exercise was not announced publicly while it was underway, and details only emerged afterward.
Senior military leadership from both countries were present. Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff Gen. Dimitrios Choupis, Israeli Navy Commander Vice Adm. Eyal Harel, and Hellenic Navy Chief Vice Adm. Dimitrios-Eleftherios Kataras all attended. On the sidelines, Kataras and Harel met aboard the Greek frigate Psara to discuss maritime security, freedom of navigation, and the Eastern Mediterranean security picture.
The two sides confirmed plans to deepen cooperation across naval operations, innovation, and new technologies, framing the partnership as a stabilizing force for the wider region.
#Greece #Hellenic Navy #EasternMediterranean
